This invention relates generally to the cooling of data center components, and more particularly to providing a baffle for a data center rack configured to redirect air flow from a first side of a data center rack to an intake on a second side of the data center rack opposite the first side.
Data centers are configured to allow for the operation and co-location of computing and networking equipment, often on a large scale. Data centers include various data center components configured to allow for the operation of the data centers, such as servers, switches, hard drives, processors, power supplies, memory, and the like. These data center components may produce extensive amounts of heat in operation. Often, the amount of heat produced by these components can, if unaddressed, cause damage to the data center components. Data center components are often placed in racks providing a common power and networking interface for the components during operation. The close proximity of the data center components within the data center racks compounds the heat produced by the data center components. The problem is further complicated by the generally closed structure of the data center racks, which often prevents heat from effectively escaping the data center racks. As used herein, “rack” refers to any enclosure configured to house data center components.
In order to prevent harm to the data center components from the heat generated by the data center components, racks are designed with air intakes and outlets, allowing air from outside a data center rack to pass through the data center rack from the rack intake to the rack outlet. Such a design allows the air flow to transport the heat generated by the data center components inside a rack to outside the rack, resulting in a cooling of the data center components. Some racks are designed such that air intakes are located on opposite sides of the racks. Air flows into such a rack from the opposite sides of the rack and through the rack. Such a rack may have one or more air flow outlets on the same side of the rack, resulting in air flowing into the rack from both sides of the rack but flowing out of the rack on the same side of the rack.